If I could wish for one thing...

[JudgeDredd]

...I think I'd wish for the ability to zoom out on the Strategic map. I cannot get a strategic view from a zoomed in map...a map which cannot be zoomed out defeats the object of being a useful strategic map.

If this could be done, I'd be very happy.

I know, by the way, that there's a printable map. I have printed it. But that's the map. It doesn't show me "real time" battlegroups, enemy dispositions etc...

[RD Oddball]

Good feature suggestion JD. Will consider it as we move forward with any new projects.

[Captmatt]

I second this!

[jomni]

What about the ability to skip / autoresolve battles?
Some battles are so insignificant or once-sided, and I want to skip it.

[RD Oddball]

That's been discussed before jomni. Received mixed reactions. Some like the idea some don't. CC in many ways is about the tactical battles and how the outcomes relate to the strat layer.

[GaryChildress]

ORIGINAL: Captmatt

I second this!

I third it! Great idea Judge! It would help a great deal with the AAR I've been doing.

[boldrobot]

Yes, please! Being able to zoom out on the strategic map would be amazingly helpful.

[RD Oddball]

ORIGINAL: RD_Oddball

Good feature suggestion JD. Will consider it as we move forward with any new projects.

[chiroho]

I'd like to add to this suggestion to request that, not only can we zoom out on the strategic map, but that it can be displayed at resolutions higher than 1024x768. The main battle engine renders much higher resolutions, but having to scroll around in that dinky little cut off portion of the screen at the strategic level can be quite annoying at times (I run at 1680x1050, so it really does seem dinky to me). So anything that can be done to improve that would be great.

[RD Oddball]

We'll keep a re-write of the UI engine in mind for any future release ideas.

[Dundradal]

To be honest, what I'd like to see is fairly complex in its simplicity. After having a discussion with another CC fan I thought their ideas were great and should be put out there. Now certainly it would require work, but I think it would also produce the best CC yet. Also, this is in no way a bashing. I would instead call it inspired constructive criticism after a good discussion about CC yesterday.

But before I do that, I'd like to also put a note in for allowing the MMCC3 application to be maximized so the whole strat map could be seen in it as well. It's pretty annoying that you can only enlarge it so much before it gets weird. Now with the servers back up I play fairly often and this drives me batty.

Now back to the main event....

There are more than 10 CC games out now all with their own ups and downs. LSA is no different. Each game has great features and some that we want to blow off the face of the Earth. One has a scenario editor that is absolutely amazing but isn't used in any subsequent game.

I think it's time to move away from the modified/enhanced/etc CC5 engine and instead start from scratch but build towards the CC gaming experience. Build an engine that incorporates the best features from each game. That way you aren't hacking into/onto the CC5 engine which is what I imagine is happening now. Instead of trying to "fix" almost 15 year old code, you could create code more suited for a modern computer. You could code a pathfinding and map routine that doesn't make my hair fall out faster than it already is. You could do a variety of things that I think would not only create a better game, but also a better product. I don't want to sound rude or like an ass, but it's obvious to me that LSA and the other games needed more testing before release. There are some moderate to serious issues that if I had been a tester I would have lodged high level bug reports to get looked at. I will state that I understand Matrix is a small firm with very limited resources, but that can't always be a reason to explain it away.

Clearly LSA and the other re-releases have issues...some serious...some more of annoyances. They are the same issues seen over and over again. I appreciate that you continue to release titles for this franchise, I'd much rather see a solid engine that isn't a patchwork of hacks and code insertions then every few years a new game using the same broken engine (and I will say it's broken...it might run but that doesn't mean it runs well...I'm sure most of us have heard the POS car that only worked if you jiggled the window button, left the radio on 93.7 FM, and pumped the gas). While it might require a bit of money upfront for the labor of coding a new engine (and in the US as with the rest of the world time's are tough, but that doesn't mean they will be forever) the long-term benefits would be greater.

Now do I know what features/options need to be in this engine? Not entirely.

I know a few things that are absolute musts.

Pathfinding
Strategic/Tactical AI
Custom Scenario/Map Editor (and I mean one fully loaded so that modders will literally die with joy...I know there is better one that has fallen by the wayside)
GUI improvements (strat map zoom, etc)

Just for a few.

I hope you guys just don't read it and say "yeah he has some points" and then forget about it. My hope is that you might already be considering (if not already doing) it yourselves and if not, maybe this can light a fire under somebody to start lobbying for it.

So I thank you guys for your hard work and am about to start an hour session of LSA...but you have to realize that this engine has been hacked so much with so many half implemented features it's becoming obese and needs to be put out to pasture.

Thanks again.

[RD Oddball]

Some very good points about the engine and great suggestions Dundradal. THANK YOU! We don't dismiss any ideas without serious consideration.

As has been pointed out there are always priorities &. development resources vs. a long list of ideas. Just a fact of development that can't be gotten around. Given unlimited resources you'd bet things would be very different. More often than not our reactions here in the forums are based on our agreement to not share any information about the future plans whatever those may be. They simply can't be discussed, at all. You're simply not going to hear any one of us say "great idea we're going to do it!" [:D] Not going to happen and it's not a promise that any one of us can or will make. You have to trust that we're taking the ideas seriously and be happy if one of your ideas happens to appear in any possible future releases. [;)] And we sincerely do appreciate the suggestions. Keep them coming!

[Andrew Williams]

Dundradal

You've just described CC6, coming soon since 2004.

[Reboot]

ORIGINAL: Dundradal

To be honest, what I'd like to see is.......................

So I thank you guys for your hard work and am about to start an hour session of LSA...but you have to realize that this engine has been hacked so much with so many half implemented features it's becoming obese and needs to be put out to pasture.

Thanks again.

It is encouraging to see posts revealing insight into and respect for how much hard work, what type of work, and what limitations are involved in development processes; posts by someone, armed with that knowledge who is also a CC fan with an optimistic eye to the future. A "team player" so to speak...[;)]

[Fred98]

ORIGINAL: RD_Oddball
That's been discussed before jomni. Received mixed reactions. Some like the idea some don't.

Suggest it be an option rather than compulory.

You are about to begin the next battle in the sequence and you have the option to auto resolve.

You see the result and move on to the next battle.

-

[RD Oddball]

ORIGINAL: Joe 98

ORIGINAL: RD_Oddball
That's been discussed before jomni. Received mixed reactions. Some like the idea some don't.

Suggest it be an option rather than compulory.

You are about to begin the next battle in the sequence and you have the option to auto resolve.

You see the result and move on to the next battle.

-

Yep good suggestion. If a feature like that was to get implemented it'd have to be.

[Dundradal]

ORIGINAL: Reboot
It is encouraging to see posts revealing insight into and respect for how much hard work, what type of work, and what limitations are involved in development processes; posts by someone, armed with that knowledge who is also a CC fan with an optimistic eye to the future. A "team player" so to speak...[;)]

Thanks. Long experience has taught me you caught more flies with honey than vinegar. You can tell this is a labor of love, but with limited resources you cannot do it all. I love the game, but really wish it had another 2 months of testing/polishing done. You can really tell that the "enhanced" CC5 engine is getting overloaded with features, while good ideas, don't always work well. The best advice is still Keep It Simple Stupid. Don't try to outsmart yourself.

I get this attitude from being a longtime Wing Commander fan. Our community has hung together through thick and thin with only a VERY few mods to keep us going. But we still hold out hope for a new game that will respark the series and with the updates to C&C and the like it can only be a short while now before WC makes its return.

But sometimes you have to cut your losses and move forward. You can only patch a popped inner tube so many times before it truly stops holding air.

If I may add on extra thing...what are the optimal settings for playing against the AI? I just have it at Veteran vs Veteran. Is it better to set it to something else to grant the AI additional advantages?

[jomni]

ORIGINAL: Dundradal

If I may add on extra thing...what are the optimal settings for playing against the AI? I just have it at Veteran vs Veteran. Is it better to set it to something else to grant the AI additional advantages?

If you make the AI Veteran... it gives them disadvantages.
AI should be Green...

[Tejszd]

The quantity of units, quality of units, quantity of support and the time it takes to arm a bridge for demolition are tied to the difficulty level. The more experience a side is set at the less of everything you will get....

Thus when playing the AI set your self at Elite and the AI as Recruit.

[Dundradal]

No wonder the bastards were blowing the bridges in less than 3 minutes! Time to restart my GC!